Samoa Magic Bars

These Samoa Magic Bars just taste like the real thing…so you can have your magic bars and your Caramel deLites too!

So, what are Girl Scout cookies up to now? $4.50 a pop? Seriously, they’re the only cookie that’ll I spend that much on for such a small box. I mean, each box is one serving (maybe two), am I right?

Jordan was a Girl Scout for a hot minute back in Kindergarten and First Grade. By Christmastime in Second Grade she was hemming and hawing about continuing; it really wasn’t for her.

I made sure she quit before cookie sales started. I’m a smart mom, after all. Because a 5 or 6 year old selling cookies? Means I’m selling cookies. I did that for several years back in the day myself, thankyouverymuch. #mamaaintgottimeforthat

So now we just live off the GS cookie stash in the freezer. You GS moms know it; it’s the one you have because your daughter had to get to the next tier so instead of paying your mortgage last January, you paid for cookies.

Well, you’ll be delighted to know that these Samoa Magic Bars don’t actually use the girl scout cookies. So you can have them now, even if your shipment hasn’t come in.

You can have them in June, when you’ve run out.

Or you can make them AND eat that box of Caramel deLites.

{BTW, which is it? Samoa or Caramel deLite? Why do they always change the darn names??!!}

These bars have a shortbread crust. It’s pre-baked for 10 minutes before you add the toppings.

The toppings are reminiscent of that amazing girl scout cookie: chocolate chips, caramel bits, and coconut. I used Kraft Caramel Bits for my caramel layer. They’re little balls of caramel sold near the bags of caramel squares. If you can’t find them, you can use caramel squares, or even Rolos.

The magic comes from the sweetened condensed milk: you pour it over the top of the bars before baking and it melts all the goodness together. You’ll notice in the recipe I call for fat-free sweetened condensed milk. It’s what I prefer, but you can use regular as well.

These are gooey, sweet, and they taste like Samoas! The perfect way to get your girl scout cookie fix…no matter what month it is!

Directions:

Line a 9x13” pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. The foil is optional, but helps aid in removing these from the pan.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Beat butter in a stand mixer until smooth. Mix in flour, sugar, and salt. Beat until the mixture is crumbly. It’s done mixing when you can press it together between your fingers and it sticks together. (You can use a hand mixer but it will take a really long time to come together, FYI.)

Press into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove hot crust from the oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips, coconut, and caramels. (Note: if you can’t find caramels or caramel bits, you can use Rolos or Caramel Hershey’s Kisses, chopped.)

Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden around the edges. Cool completely before cutting.

Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. These can be frozen in a single layer in a resealable plastic bag or plastic container.

I wish I had a freezer full of GS cookies. I can never find a Girl Scout around Midtown, Atlanta. That is what I get for living in a high-rise with zero children. So luckily I have you! And now I can make my own!

I always treat myself to one box of cookies a year. $4.50 though, yikes!! I haven’t seen any sellers out and about this year. These bars will do the trick for me. They look amazing and Samoas are my favorite.

They will (and should!) always be “Samoas” to me. Regardless of whatever shenanigans the Girl Scout Cookie Naming Department decides to call them. 😉 They were my favorite cookie flavor growing up, even more than Tagalongs and Thin Mints, and I didn’t even like coconut, outside of those cookies! I only joined Girl Scouts for two years in elementary school, just to go to Camporee. (My family was big on camping; we went twice each summer.) I actually refused to sell cookies one year, and I got in big trouble from my Troop leaders… So I quit and my mom formed her own Troop where we didn’t have to sell any and just went rock climbing and camping instead. Much better!

THANK YOU!!!!! We don’t have any girl scouts in our area, and there aren’tany hanging out in front of the grocery store, either! Where have they all gone? All I know is I’ve been really needing some Samoa cookies……and now I can make them! You ROCK! Thanks!

It will always be Samoas to me…even though I dodge every single girl scout I see. No way am I paying over $4 a box for one serving of cookies. Especially not when I can make a big pan of these yummy gooey bars that taste just as good…actually better!!

These bars look wonderful! I love that you made a completely from scratch version. I was in Girl Scouts for a really long time when I was younger and they were always Samoas. I got on their website a few weeks ago to see which cookies I wanted and saw that they go by both Samoas and Caramel DeLites. Not sure what the point of that is, haha. 🙂

It depends on what bakery they are baked at! One bakery makes Tagalongs and Samoas while the other makes Peanut Butter Patties and Caramel DeLites! They are actually different cookies believe it or not. Samoas have dark chocolate 🙂

You are so right about the price of the cookies! I pay that much only for GS cookies. And I can totally kill a box of Samoas by myself in one sitting. I love these bars and that they don’t actually use the cookies – samoas all year long!! Pinning!

Oh my goodness, these look amazing Dorothy! Samoas are my favorite GS cookies and I am so glad I can enjoy them anytime I have the craving now without having to dish out over $4 for a box. Love these and can’t wait to try them – pinned:)

These bars look amazing! Samoa is my favorite Girl Scout cookie so these are right up my alley. I’ve tried both the Samoa and Caramel De-Lites, I definitely prefer the Samoa cookie. I feel that it is richer, has more sticky caramel and coconut, and generally tastier than its counterpart.

I’m going to have to stop reading your blog before breakfast. You’re a dangerous one, I swear! And since a full case of Girl Scout Samoa cookies is never enough, I definitely have to make these magic bars, mmm.

These are so good! Thanks for sharing the recipe. I actually made them twice this weekend. The first time, I couldn’t find caramel nibs, so I just grabbed a jar of caramel ice cream topping. Worked all right, tasted well, but they are super messy. The second time, I just happened to find the carmal nibs in the candy aisle of the grocery store. These are much prettier as they hold up better. Absolutely delicious!

ABOUT TO START MAKING THESE IN A FEW MINUTES…AFTER THE CRUST IS DONE DO YOU JUST PUT ONE LAYER OF CHOC CHIPS, THEN COCONUT, THEN CARAMEL BITES? OR AFTER THE FIRST LAYER DO YOU PUT MORE CHOC CHIPS, COCONUT AND CARAMEL BITES? OR IS ONE LAYER ENOUGH?

FYI, they don’t change the names of girl scout cookies. There are 2 baking companies used by the girl scouts, and each one uses different names. The distribution is regional and that has changed from time to time…so some people live in areas where they’ve seen both names. I’ve known this for decades, as a former girl scout. Mystery solved. 🙂